


and i've never been one for patience, so don't wait (please)

by croissantbleu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (vaguely. they're in space), Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, AtsuHina Week, AtsuHina Week 2020, M/M, Smoking, day 5: rivals, mentions of blood and knives and death but nothing graphic or detailed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24660589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/croissantbleu/pseuds/croissantbleu
Summary: He flashes his card at the screen when he finally gets there, punches in 39 as the destination number, and waits. He spots a flash of orange hair outside and curses, repeatedly pressing on the "close doors" button in hopes he'll make it in time - but, of course he doesn't and Hinata slips in a second before the doors close, all bright hair and bright smile that hide the knife Atsumu knows he's carrying as much as his jacket does.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 3
Kudos: 51





	and i've never been one for patience, so don't wait (please)

Floor 17's the most boring one by far, Atsumu thinks, looking out his window at the people in the streets he can't see under all the shops' awnings - useless since it never rains in here. All the fun is on the floors 25 and above. At least they have windows on the sides that let you see into space instead of stupid paintings of buildings and landscapes that are supposed to make people feel like they're still on Earth, but are almost faded out enough that nobody really knows what they used to look like. Nobody really remembers what Earth was like either, by now, anyways. Not that the space view is particularly interesting in itself, it probably gets old quickly enough. Still, it's a shame. He always makes a point to take the time to check it out when he's got business up on the higher floors. 

Speaking of business. He hears the chirp of an alert popping up on his phone, from his employer. What a pain. He reads it quickly, biting on the last of the bread he'd been playing with. Seems like an easy enough job, though. Target on the 39th floor (pity it isn't just a bit higher, he never has the chance to visit the 40's), in an area he already knows. Getting in and out shouldn't be a problem, he's pretty sure he knows some of the guards in that building, and almost certain a few of them owe him a favour or two. Eh. It comes with the job. He's got two days to carry out the assassination, but if he got an alert then he's sure the other guy did too. Fucker always gets assigned the same jobs as him, always trying to get in his way. But he doesn't have any intention of letting him get there before he does, not after the stunt that brat pulled last time.

So he doesn't waste any time, looks through the alert once again to gather any info he has on the target (in his thirties, the kind of sleazy guy he's used to taking out), grabs his jacket and his bag and bolts out, racing down the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator that's always too slow whenever he's in a hurry. Stupid floor 17. Maybe he'll file a moving request to get to another floor after this, like he's been saying for years, but he just really can't be bothered to deal with all the paperwork. He has enough to do as it is.

Getting to the Pillar quickly is a pain, as usual. It's not like he really has a choice - the huge steel pillar that goes through the center of each floor isn't only here for support, it also contains the fastest transportation around. Even if he could gain some time by using other pods, more easily accessible, he'd lose it and then some more immediately because of how slow they are. Stupid floor 17. Though, he isn't really sure if the other ones are any better.

He flashes his card at the screen when he finally gets there, punches in 39 as the destination number, and waits. He spots a flash of orange hair outside and curses, repeatedly pressing on the "close doors" button in hopes he'll make it in time - but, of course he doesn't and Hinata slips in a second before the doors close, all bright hair and bright smile that hide the knife Atsumu knows he's carrying as much as his jacket does. They're matching, in that they've both chosen the same kind of outfit for the job, black leather jacket (all scuffed around the elbows and shoulders in Hinata's case, crawling into tight spaces will have that kind of result) that's as useful to disguise weapons or act as protection, and black trousers that hide bloodstains. Atsumu tries to avoid bloodshed when he takes care of his target. Hinata doesn't. 

"Were you trying to get away without me? That's so mean," Hinata grins. "We're colleagues!"

Atsumu sighs. He's a pain, that's for sure, but he can't even pretend he hates it. Job's easy enough most of the time, almost boring, even. There's a different rush when he knows Hinata's after the same target, though, a different end goal to get to. "Eliminate the target" is boring. "Eliminate the target before the other guy gets to it", though? Now he's talking. He's never turned down a challenge. He doesn't plan on starting now.

"We're not colleagues," he says. "You keep trying to bust my operations."

"Ehh, is that how you see it? Funny. You're the one always getting in my way," Hinata's reply comes quick, with a smile sharp as a blade.

When he's like this, Atsumu always thinks of the wild animals in the stories he was told as a child. It’s times like these that make him feel like he’s got his back to a wall and a knife to his throat. Not that he minds, really.

"Who's your target?" he asks, like he doesn't want to rub at his throat to erase the lingering phantom sensation.

It’s routine, by now. Casual discussion in the elevator because neither of them has anything better to do and, living on the same floor, they’re bound to get in at the same time. They’ll go back to trying to outdo each other as soon as they reach their destination.

"Same as yours I guess," Hinata shrugs and adjusts his jacket. "Floor 39, in his thirties. Blond hair, missing a finger on his left hand."

_ Floor 22. _

"Man, you'd think these guys would stop after losing a finger," Atsumu sighs again, running a hand through his hair. He really wants a smoke, but he can't set off the detector here, so he settles on biting at his thumb. "Why is it that they always end up in our system, huh?"

"Eh, who cares." Hinata takes the knife from the sheath on his back, inspecting the blade like he's expecting to find any dust on it. Atsumu knows there isn’t any. "If they can't learn their lesson, too bad for them. They're still getting me a paycheck in the end."

"Mmh," Atsumu watches as he puts the knife away again. He looks more fidgety than usual. This is odd. "Why're you still sticking with knives?" he asks instead. "They're messy."

_ Floor 27. _

"They're not, you just don't know how to use them," Hinata sniggers. "At least they're quiet. Your electric bullshit is so loud, half the floor hears it before your target dies. It's no good."

"Y'know, you're gonna have to get with the progress eventually," Atsumu doesn't look at him. "There's way more paperwork when there's blood involved."

The groan Hinata lets out is enough for him to know he's got a point, and almost enough to make him laugh.

"They really just lie when they get to you, huh?" he hears Hinata say. “Nobody told me there'd be this much paperwork. Isn't it most of what we do at this point?"

"Ugh, tell me about it. They didn't make me do any during the trial period and then - bam, stuck me with everything."

_ Floor 33. _

“Ha! Typical. How old were you?”

“17,” Atsumu checks his bag is closed properly. “Man, I can’t believe it’s been eight years.”

“Oh yeah, you’re old.”

“I’ll kill you next,” Atsumu says, and Hinata lets out the most genuine laugh he’s heard from him so far. “You’re only a year younger than me, you brat.”

“Mmh but it counts for a lot in this kind of job, right?” Hinata stretches his arms above his head. “What’s your hitcount?”

_ Floor 37. _

“Don’t know,” Atsumu says, gaze fixed on the door that will open any minute now. “Don’t care. It’s just a job.”

“Of course,” Hinata flashes him a smile when he glances at him, more of a teasing curvature to his lips than one that shows off the point to his canines. "Anyway, don't take it personally when I get to the target before you. It's just business, you know?" 

Atsumu doesn't get a chance to answer before the doors open and Hinata jumps out, Atsumu right behind him. They go into different directions as soon as they’re out of the Pillar, and he lets out a grin when he sees where Hinata is headed. They’ve always had different ways of getting into the places they’re after, and if Hinata’s usually involves air vents and jumping down useless windows, Atsumu has always preferred walking through the main entrance. And he’s real good at making sure people owe him enough favours to let him in wherever he wants. It’s part of the job.

He slows back to a walking pace and finally lights a cigarette. He’s heard once from an old guy who heard it from his grandfather that cigarettes didn’t used to taste like metal and the smell of burning plastic, but he really hates that they do, now. He also kind of hates that they’re still a thing here but, hey. That’s not his call. It would have been if he’d ended up the ship captain like his mother wanted him to, not an assassin who’s enjoying the rush of a challenge a little more than he should. And the e-cigs are even worse, unless he goes up to the 46th floor and pays a fortune for it, but he never gets the chance to go up so high. It’s too much paperwork, anyways.

He gets to the targeted building just when he finishes his cigarette, dropping the end in the floating ashtray that comes up to him. He hasn’t been on this floor very often, the streets are wider than back on the 17th, the light is a little brighter and colder than the warm yellow tones of the other floors. Boring. That’d hurt his head if he stayed there too long, probably. Each floor is supposed to take inspiration from a different city back on Earth, but he’s not sure he can really tell the difference.

“Hey, remember me?” He says to one of the guys at the entrance, that he definitely forgot the name of a long time ago. “Got some business inside.”

The guy nods and Atsumu walks in. In theory, showing his license card would have the same effect, but then they’d warn his target and it’d try to escape, and everything would be a lot more troublesome than it needs to. Nobody ever goes after a target showing their card around, except newbies for their first few assignments, but they usually are fast to learn that it’s a bad idea. 

From what he knows, the target should be around 3 levels up if he’s in his office. Atsumu doesn’t know the building very well, beyond the info that was on the alert. What a pain. He heads for the stairs instead of the elevator because he’s had his share of them for now, and starts climbing. He’s not really in any hurry - the target shouldn’t be expecting him, and Hinata’s route is more discreet but also a lot slower than his, so he shouldn’t get there before a little while. He’s got all the time he needs here.

He pushes the door to the third level, pretending to be busy on his phone, enough that people won’t ask what he’s doing here. He glances at the screens displaying names by the doors, waiting to catch the one he’s looking for, but then-

Fuck, he thinks when the floor disappears under his feet and his vision goes dark. More paperwork.

He’s got a clear enough understanding of the situation when he wakes up, stubborn pain lodged behind his brows and shooting to the back of his skull. The room he’s in is dark, and there must not be any windows because even when the outside lights are on at night, there’s still more visibility than here. Ah, what a pain. This was supposed to be a simple job. And he doesn’t know how long he’s been out of it, but Hinata must have reached the target by now. Fuck. This is annoying. His arms are tied behind the back of his chair, and he doesn’t have to check to know they took all of his weapons. Ugh, just the thought of the paperwork it’ll take to replace them all is giving him a headache. He’d almost wish someone would just kill him here instead.

He shifts a little on his seat and - oh, they didn't get all of his weapons, he can still feel the one strapped just above his ankle. Ah, whatever. He can't reach it anyways, not with his arms stuck like that. This is going to take ages, he thinks, biting at his lip. He doesn't even have a disgusting cigarette to pass the time.

There's a quiet rattling noise above him and he briefly wonders if his wish of being murdered is being granted, before the grid to the air vent gets kicked down and a mess of ginger hair and brown eyes peek through the opening.

"Thought you were a professional, Miya. Need some help over there?"

What is up with his bad luck, today?

"Oh I'm a pro, alright. And y'know, I'm doing great here. Very comfortable and all. The hell are you doing here, anyway?"

"Looking for you," Hinata says before jumping down. “I thought you'd gotten in trouble when I got here and didn't hear you making a mess of things."

"Yeah, that doesn't explain why you'd wanna help me," Atsumu frowns.

"Colleagues, remember?" Hinata offers him a grin as he moves behind him.

"Cut the bullshit," Atsumu tries to twist around to look at him, but it's no use. "We're not."

"Friendly rivals, then," Hinata finishes untying him and walks back in front of him. "Look, just think of it as an apology for last time. I'll help you take him out. He's a piece of shit and I told my sister I'd be home for dinner," he shrugs. "Don't wanna drag this out forever."

There's still something weird about this, Atsumu thinks, but he's not going to complain about having his hands free again, so he just reaches to unsheathe the knife at his ankle.

"Thought you didn't like knives?" Hinata asks cheerfully, and he's got a bright grin on his face when Atsumu glances back at him.

"I don't," he says and stands up, cracking his neck before sliding the blade into his belt. "But I'm not stupid. They're efficient enough in case of emergencies."

"How'd you get caught anyway?" Hinata's turned to inspect the door. "Aren't you supposed to be at least decent at your job?"

"I'm going to kill you, you'll see if I'm good at my job." Atsumu says. "Get out of the way."

Hinata obliges with a flourish and Atsumu rams his shoulder into the door. He knows these doors, the same as on the two floors below, and he knows it'll cave. It does.

"Yay for brute force!" Hinata pretends to clap. "Very sneaky and inconspicuous. Maybe only half the building heard it!"

"Yeah, well, it does the job. I'm not the type to crawl down air vents all day long."

"Now, now, don't be mad, it's not your fault you're not flexible enough," he laughs as he slips past Atsumu and heads down the hallway.

Atsumu thinks Hinata might be the death of him, either literally or not. He’s not sure he’d really mind. He doesn’t remember ever having that thought about any other assassin. 

“I’m getting my weapons back,” he says.

Hinata turns just enough that Atsumu can catch his smile. “I know. I looked for them first. They’ll be this way.”

Atsumu doesn’t reply, and they stay quiet for a while, walking carefully through empty hallways and deserted rooms.

“The hell is this place,” he mumbles after they turn into another corridor.

“I made a few calls before I got here,” Hinata says. They’re sticking closer together now, both of them listening to their instincts over anything else. “Name was familiar. Turns out, this isn’t the first hit they’ve placed on him.”

“What? Did the first one fail?” 

It’s rare to hear about failed hits. There’s always at least two people after a target, so he’s never really heard about complete misses. Hinata’s got a serious look on his face that Atsumu isn’t used to.

“Neither of them made it,” he says, tone flat. “It’s been a good few months now.”

Well, damn. Atsumu isn’t exactly surprised he didn’t know about it sooner, the big guys aren’t too fond of publicizing their failures. And they probably don’t want to encourage anyone to follow that example - if assassins are technically recognized, there's still a whole lot of people who'd like to get revenge, and there isn't really anything to dissuade them. Atsumu can't blame them. 

“How old’s your sister?” he asks.

“Fourteen.”

“Ah, fuck’s sake,” he’s a little too loud and Hinata shoots him a glance. “She’s a kid. What the fuck are you doing here?”

Hinata looks like he’s going to say something before he stops and smiles. Atsumu’s known the guy long enough to know when it’s not genuine.

“Said I’d be home for dinner,” he ends up saying. “And what kind of example would I give if I just quit as soon as it gets a little difficult, huh? And hey, don’t act like you’ve got any lessons to give me.”

Atsumu knows there’s something else that Hinata isn’t telling him, but he doesn’t push further for now. And he’s right that Atsumu’s rarely got a right to to act like he’s got the moral high ground and, granted they’re both still here, but at least no-one’s waiting for Atsumu to come home in time for dinner. He doesn’t even live on the same floor as his family. Whatever. It’s Hinata’s business, not his. Right now, they’ve got better things to do.

They're in and out of the storage room where his weapons were kept faster than he'd expected to, faster than he would have if he'd been on his own. It shouldn't get on his nerves but it does - assassin isn't exactly a team-up kind of job, and these situations aren't even supposed to happen. It's always been the two of them against each other, trying to outsmart the other and be the faster one. He's grown used to it, he's even grown to like it enough to look forward to the next alert on his phone because it means he gets to have more pointless conversations in that damn elevator and he gets to either win, or see Hinata's proud smile when he wins. He just doesn't like having to face the idea that they're way more effective when working together. Which reminds him -

"Hey," he speaks up, and Hinata barely spares him a glance before going back to typing quickly on his phone. He'd said earlier than he would find out where the target was hiding. "You said this was an apology for last time. For real?"

Hinata looks up at him for more than half a second this time. "Yeah. I messed up. I wouldn't have stolen your target if I'd seen you were there, that's just- not cool."

"It's really not that big a deal," Atsumu smiles. "I mean, that pissed me off for sure but, it's always you against me in the end, yeah? That was a shitty move on your part but it's not like I never played dirty tricks on you to slow you down."

"Wait, wait, that time on 23, that was you?" Atsumu sees him squint when he nods. "Oh fuck you, it took me ages to get out of that commotion- how'd you even pull that off?"

"Called in a few favours," he sniggers. "But, eh, that was worth it. So y'know, the apology really isn't needed. Go home. I can take the target down by myself."

"Yeah, you tried that, remember? Got yourself caught and tied up. I'm staying. Don't wanna give this guy a chance to slip away again." 

Hinata's tone doesn't call for an answer and he's already started walking away. Atsumu's feeling the annoyance grow more imposing in his chest, creeping upwards until it's squeezing his trachea and there's a bitterness on his tongue that's worse than all the metal and ash he's gotten used to. 

There are a lot of things he's had to learn to survive in his line of work. Patience has never really been one of them. Still, he's a professional, he doesn't let his feelings get in the way of work like that, so easily. Usually. Sometimes. Not today, at least, even if it feels like he'd just have to open his mouth and a river of irritation would fall off his tongue. Target comes first. The rotten vines in his throat can wait until later. 

"Less talking, more working, yeah, got it," he sighs and follows, throws his gun in the air a few times to feign boredom. 

"Miya," Hinata turns towards him. "We'll have to go through the vents." 

"Ah, hell no,” Atsumu shakes his head with more strength than necessary. “I hate those fucking things." 

"It's not like we have a choice. If you got caught the first time, we won't do much better. You know I'm right," he adds when he sees the grimace pulling at Atsumu’s lips. “We’ll only be in there for a few minutes.”

Atsumu crosses his arms. He knows the vents are the safest way in, he knows they don’t have the luxury of time here. He also knows he’d take any other option without even thinking about it.

“Miya, c’mon. I get that you don’t like them, but it’s not that bad. And we don’t-”

“You go through the vents,” Atsumu interrupts him. “I’m staying down here.”

“You won’t-”

“I know, I know. I won’t make it to the target. But,” he uncrosses his arms and reaches for his stunner gun. “I can distract them long enough for you to take care of it. These babies make a whole lot of noise, remember?” he gives it a twirl, smile spreading on his face at the familiar weight. “And they’re a whole lot less deadly than your knives. It’s a good plan,” he insists when he sees Hinata looking like he’s searching for any reason to refuse. “You even get all the credit again. Y’should thank me.”

“Okay,” Hinata sighs. “Fine. I’ll come get you out when I’m done.”

Atsumu watches him climb up the wall and use the edge of the door to kick his way into the vent.

"Hey! Do my paperwork too," he adds like an afterthought.

Hinata peeks out just enough that Atsumu can see he's smiling. "Fuck you, Miya. Go do your job. Don't die."

And he disappears again. Atsumu's always wondered how he manages to be so silent in there, he doesn't think it can be explained just by the force of habit. Who knows. He throws his stunner gun into the air one last time before getting back on his way. Now that he's expecting someone to come after him anytime, they'll find it a lot more difficult to get a jump on him. He's not that incompetent to think they could do him any serious harm this time around. Ah, he's getting excited again. 

He's made sure to slide the security to a non-lethal setting - he's not intent on killing people he's not paid to, and he doesn't want to even think of the pile of paperwork that'd be waiting for him if he did - and he easily gets rid of the first two guys following him, the crackling sound of electricity still echoing in his ears. He's never been much of the sneaking type, after all.

Ah, he's going to have a hard time getting back on this floor after all that, he thinks when he sees more people coming after him. He doubts they'll forget about him any time soon. Shame. The food really isn't bad up here. Maybe he can convince someone to bring him some from time to time, but it won’t compare with enjoying it while looking deep into space. Man, he really has to move to a floor with windows.

Honestly, he'd been expecting a little more trouble. Really, he isn't incompetent enough that anyone here could pose a real problem while his guard is up but, still. He almost regrets it. He's buzzing with too much adrenaline to be getting bored like he is. Ah, whatever. Less trouble means they'll get this over sooner. He's not going to complain about that. 

He checks the time on the watch of the last guy he knocked out. He'll wake up in about 45 minutes like the others, without any injury. Fuck, he loves his electric weapons. Hinata's right that they lack a little in discretion, but Atsumu would argue that they make up for that with efficiency and range. And, he's not that hung up on operating unnoticed anyways, as long as he can still get the job done. It's been around 20 minutes since they split up, so Hinata should be getting to the target anytime now. 

Atsumu briefly wonders if he should go check that everything's going fine but, he probably doesn't need to. Hinata's good enough that they're neck and neck on every job they take, he's more than capable of taking care of his end. Atsumu's dealt with the most part of the brute force around, anyway. Also, he doesn't know what weird path he's taken through the vents. Another reason why he hates those things: they're a damn maze, and he doesn't understand how anyone can find their way. 

He's interrupted in his thoughts by a knife flying at his face that he dodges in time - but, seriously, what's up with everyone and their knives? They're a damn pain -, reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket to throw an electric orb at his opponent. Hmm. These do make a lot of noise when they go off. Maybe he should look into a quieter replacement after all, maybe the higher models would be less noticeable. Eh. He'll think about that later.

"Ohh," ah, there's that familiar voice behind him. "Good to see Mr. Brute Force deal with his part of the job."

"Took you long enough," he pushes himself up and turns around.

He's struck by the sight a little, Hinata standing there with his perpetual grin, hair somehow messier than usual, and splashes of red on both of his cheeks. Only one is his, trickling from a cut under his eye. If he didn't know better, Atsumu would think his teeth look sharper, too.

"You've got blood on your face," he says, only realizing he’s moving when he sees his own hand wiping it away. Gross, he thinks when he looks at the trace on his thumb, before wiping it on his leg. "Y'see, that's why I don't fuck with knives. Told you they're too messy. Man, I don't even wanna imagine what the room looks like."

Hinata's eyes look like he can't decide between pulling out a knife against Atsumu, or something else. Atsumu's not sure what the something else entails, or if it's worse than a potential knife against his throat, but he thinks maybe he wouldn't hate to find out.

"I'll send you half the payment from HQ when it comes through," Hinata says like everything's normal. "They'll send it to me since I eliminated the target. Better get the cleaning crew here soon, too," he adds, glancing behind his shoulder as if expecting a trail of blood to follow one.

There isn't one. The hallways remain immaculate. The only traces of red are on Hinata's cheek and on the grey-ish parts of his jacket.

"Man, they must hate you, huh?" Atsumu laughs and sends the request from his phone. "I wouldn't want to be the one to clean up after you."

Hinata shrugs. "It isn't that bad," he says and takes a few steps before stopping to crack his neck, the motion letting Atsumu see a trail of blood right under his ear. "You're giving me a bad name when you haven't even seen it," he sends a smile his way. "C'mon, let's get out of here before things get busy."

Atsumu hums in agreement and follows suit, hands buried in his pockets. The adrenaline is wearing off now and he's remembering the taste of the vines climbing out of his throat.

"Hey, let's take one of the side pods," he says when they leave the building. "The Pillar will be packed at this hour, and we look like we just came out of a job, which is never too good."

Hinata grimaces. "But they're so slow. Might as well climb down a ladder."

"Yeah well, you're welcome to climb down 22 floors by yourself," Atsumu raises an eyebrow. "But if you want to be with your sister for dinner, you might want to leave that for another time."

"I hate when you're right," Hinata mumbles, and Atsumu laughs again. "Fine. The third one on the left side should be the fastest."

"Well, who knew you'd be so resourceful. Maybe we should team up more often."

"Not sure HQ would be fans," Hinata says, more focused on his phone. Atsumu distantly wonders if he's imagining the red of his ears.

"Eh, HQ only cares about efficiency and results," Atsumu shrugs. "They'd just tell us to fuck off and stop bothering them, probably." 

Hinata hums absent-mindedly, still typing away on his phone, and Atsumu kicks down the part of him that wants to snatch the device from his hands and just walks a little faster. 

"Oh, here we are," Hinata finally looks up and pockets the device, showing his licence card to the screen. 

It's in remarkably better condition than the one on their floor, Atsumu can't help but notice. 

"Ah," he stops suddenly. "I didn't go and see the view."

"No time," Hinata grabs him by the sleeve and pulls him into the elevator. "The view will still be here when you come back, but you don't want to be there when the guys you took down wake up." 

Atsumu groans but doesn’t argue. Technically speaking, he did nothing wrong because he has permission to deal with anyone coming in the way of his work, but he doubts they’ll see it like that. 

“You’re going back on 17 too, right?” he asks when he goes to input the destination number.

Hinata nods. “Yeah. My sister’s there too.”

“Isn’t that nice,” he says and slips a cigarette between his lips without lighting it.

He doesn’t want to test the smoke detectors in this thing, but he thinks maybe it’ll stop the vines in his throat from climbing past his teeth.

_ Floor 30. _

Ah, whatever, fuck it. He’s never been known to be patient or responsible anyway.

“Hey, Hinata. Why’d you stick with the job if you knew who the target was?”

Hinata doesn’t look at him, eyes fixed on the screen displaying the floor numbers. “Figured you wouldn’t know. And I owed you for last time.”

“Yeah, no, I call bullshit,” Atsumu leans against the wall.  _ Floor 38. _ “You didn’t owe me shit, and you know that. Your sister’s a kid, you wouldn’t-”

“My sister’s at  _ home _ ,” Hinata finally looks up at him. “She’s perfectly fine.  _ You  _ were the one running off into something you weren’t ready for.”

“Maybe,” Atsumu shrugs, taking his cigarette away to play with it. “But you could’ve let me get in trouble and go take care of the target on your own. You didn’t. Why? That would’ve been easier.”

_ Floor 26. _

“Miya, don’t-”

“Don’t  _ what _ , Hinata?” He’s vaguely aware that Hinata’s much better at fighting close range than he is, but he decides to ignore it. “If you’ve got something to say, then say it.”

Hinata moves fast, but Atsumu knows better than to try and dodge a knife aimed at his throat when there’s no killing intent behind it. He doesn’t get a blade to his skin, though, but hands pulling at the collar of his jacket and lips against his, and the vines in his throat withering down to nothing.

“‘S that enough of an answer for you?” he asks when he moves back, hands still tight on Atsumu’s jacket. “Dude, you’ve got to stop with the cigarettes. Tastes like hell.”

“Why, d’you plan on kissing me again?” Atsumu asks, slowly leaning down until he’s right next to his ear. “I wouldn’t mind.”

_ Floor 22. _

Hinata lets out a breath. “You’re such an asshole,” he turns to look at Atsumu. “I can’t believe I was worried about you.”

Atsumu laughs, straightening up. “Sounds like your problem, not mine.”

There’s twitch in Hinata’s left arm when he lets them fall back at his sides, and Atsumu frowns.

“You okay? Did you get hurt?”

Hinata shrugs. “Barely. It’s just a scratch. He tried to steal one of my knives.”

“Let me see. C’mon, let me see,” he insists when Hinata makes a face. “Or I’ll drag you to the med unit as soon as we get out of here.”

_ Floor 20. _

Hinata sighs and shrugs his jacket off, revealing the cut on his arm under his sleeve. It doesn’t look too deep, Atsumu thinks as he examines it carefully, but he knows how sharp Hinata’s knives are.

“Fucker cut through my jacket,” Hinata mumbles like that’s his only concern. “But see, told you it was barely a scratch. I’ll patch myself up when I get home. No need for the med unit.”

“Fine,” Atsumu concedes, and maybe he lets his hand trail on Hinata’s arm for a few seconds longer than necessary before letting go, but neither of them is going to say anything about it. “Do it properly, at least.”

“Yeah, yeah. I will,” he says, putting his jacket back on and facing the doors.

_ Floor 18. _

“Hey,” Hinata speaks up again. “Do you… want to get dinner? Natsu’s probably made too much for two again and I wouldn’t want to let it go to waste.”

Atsumu looks at him and thinks about the cup noodles that are the only thing left in his cupboards because he’s been too lazy to go buy anything.

“Sure,” he says, pushing himself up from the wall to go mess up Hinata’s hair like he’s been wanting to since he first met him. “Sounds nice.”

Hinata pushes his hand away with a smile.

_ Floor 17. _

Maybe floor 17 isn’t all that bad, Atsumu thinks when the doors open. Maybe he could bear with it for a little while longer. Moving requires too much paperwork, anyways. He really can’t be bothered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I had a ton of fun writing this, and I really hope you liked it.  
> This is my second and last contribution to this year's atsuhina week because i fell deeply into another fandom, but fear not, I am not done with them either, just momentarily distracted.  
> Please feel free to leave a comment below or come find me on twitter [@transkrpk](https://twitter.com/transkrpk)!


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